I didn’t know cartoonist Par Holman very well. Back in my cartooning days, we met at various comic con get-togethers like the San Diego Con or the Bay Con. We corresponded a bit and traded sketches (we probably appeared in print together a few times).
But I knew of him most of my life—at least since I was a middle schooler.
We came from the same planet of impassioned, nerdy, comic fans.
As with so many figures in the early days of geeky comics fandom, long before comic book shops, comic book conventions, cosplay, podcasts and Instagram, like minded folks got together by way of purple-inked mimeographed publications know as fanzines.
I first became aware of Par (then Parley) Holman by way of Fighting Hero Comics #12 (1964).
An ad from Rocket’s Blast Comicollector #35 (1965) for “Never to Be Forgotten” #1 (RBCC was a ‘major’ fanzine of the day boasting a press run of 650 copies !)
By way of these fanzines, I became familiar with people who seemed to remain present for the rest of my life, many became artists, writers, editors….
He was a nice guy, very accessible--- and a very good cartoonist.
Around the time we met, he became an active, major (if you will) presence in the mini-comics movement.
He produced handfuls of titles and contributed to many mini-anthologies including Noo Toons, Lil New Wavers, Par Holman's Secret Files, Vault of Humor, Copy This!, Santa Punk, History and Techniques of Surrealism and on and on.
